Brian Passaro Appears in Court

Brian Passaro appeared in court last Friday for the arraignment on his single felony count of theft of public monies, but had his case continued for two weeks to August 24. Passaro, former chief of Santa Barbara County’s Mosquito and Vector Management District, was arrested in July for allegedly using taxpayer money on personal expenses during his three-year tenure with the agency. He had stepped down from his position in October 2011 after a report by Santa Barbara Auditor-Controller suggested he had used a county issued credit card to make an assortment of nonbusiness-related expenses.